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ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
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Hi!! 


jetting  at  the  Heart  of 
the  Downtown 
Problem 


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A  concrete  illustration  of  what  the 
Church  is  doing  in  one  of  the 
most  difficult  fields  in  the  world. 


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The  Labor  Temple  is  conducted  by 

the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the 

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Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.S.A. 
in  co-operation  with  the  Church 
Extension  and  Home  Mission 
Committees  of  New  York  Presbytery. 


Department  of  Church  and  Labor,  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  156  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York.  H.  C.  Olin,  Treasurer. 


yq«  \  , 

Getting  at  the  Heart  of  the  Down¬ 
town  Problem 


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OWER  NEW  YORK 
is  the  arena  in  which 


the  greatest  battles  of 
America's  masses  will 
be  fought.  Here  every 
social,  economic  and  re¬ 
ligious  problem  of  the 
day  will  be  faced  by  the 
people  and  settled — for 
good  or  for  ill.  What 
shall  be  the  place  of  the 
Church  in  this  struggle? 
This  is  the  question 
which  the  Labor  Temple 
is  trying  to  answer. 

The  Temple  is  situ¬ 
ated  at  the  most  strate¬ 
gic  point  in  New  York 
City  for  such  a  work. 
Fourteenth  Street  and 
Second  Avenue  is  the 
junction  point  of  the 
east  side's  most  popular 
thoroughfares.  At  certain  hours  of  the  day  there  pass 
by  this  corner — on  sidewalk  and  in  street-car — fully  ONE 
THOUSAND  PERSONS  EVERY  MINUTE. 


A  Shopping  Crowd  on  Fourteenth  St. 


1 


East  Fourteenth  Street  at  Night* 


Within  a  block  is  the  great  downtown  amusement 
district  of  the  people.  A  dozen  theatres  entertain 
thousands  nightly,  and  on  Sunday  afternoon  and 
evening  there  are  still  greater  crowds.  Until  long  after 
midnight,  Fourteenth  Street  is  a  blaze  of  light,  rivalling 
the  day  for  brightness.  The  saloons,  several  of  them  run  by 
famous  sporting  men,  are  crowded  to  the  doors.  Here,  too, 
is  the  “red-light”  district.  The  Temple  is  in  the  midst  of  it. 
Then,  there  are  the  dance-halls  and  the  vulgar  motion  pic¬ 
ture  shows — often  hot-beds  of  vice  and  obscenity.  There's 
a  cheap  Bohemia  all  about  us  which  is  very  attractive  to  the 
young  people  in  our  community — and  in  most  cases,  cpiite 
within  their  means. 

To  the  south  and  east  lie  the  great  tenement  districts — 
the  most  congested  section  of  the  world.  \\  ithin  our  parish 
of  about  a  mile  square  there  are  approximately  400,000 
people  living.  There  are  27  blocks,  each  having  between 

*Note. — The  long  exposure  in  taking  this  picture  eliminated  the  crowds  of 
people  who  were  passing  before  the  camera. 


2 


"A  Typical  Audience  in  a  Nearby  Theatre 


3,000  and  4,000  inhabitants,  5  have  between  4,000  and  5,000, 
and  one  block  has  over  5,000.  There  is  another  block  which 
has  a  density  of  1,434  persons  per  acre.  And  what  a  babel 
of  tongues !  Every  country  in  the  world  is  represented  in 
our  parish.  There  are  the  children — perfect  swarms  of 
them.  The  street  is  their  principal  play-ground.  This 
would  not  be  so  bad  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  their  play 
is  not  properly  directed.  The  result  is  that  many  of  them 
are  arrested  for  “crimes"  which  grow  out  of  a  perfectly 
normal  desire  for  amusement.  Over  1,400  children  were 
arrested  in  our  parish  in  one  year, — about  one-half  of  them 
for  “disorderly  conduct."  The  native-born  children  of  for¬ 
eign-born  parents  are  the  greatest  “offenders," — the  parents 
are  too  busy  earning  a  living  for  the  family  and  they  are 
often  too  ignorant  of  New  York’s  temptations  to  properly 
care  for  their  children. 

But  the  problem  which  stands  out  above  every  other  is 
the  industrial  situation — the  question  of  getting  a  living. 
That's  why  socialism  is  so  strong.  Every  summer  night  you 
will  find  open-air  meetings  going  on  all  about  us,  and  during 
the  winter  season  the  socialists  hold  their  mass-meetings  in 
nearby  halls.  The  Temple  does  not  evade  this  issue.  With¬ 
out  committing  itself  or  the  Church  to  any  particular  eco¬ 
nomic  system,  it  sympathetically  talks  out  with  interested 
audiences  the  questions  that  perplex  the  workers. 


The  Labor  Temple  at  Night 


This  is  the  most  difficult  field  in  America.  That’s 
why  we  selected  it.  We  wish  to  demonstrate  what 
the  Church  may  do  in  such  a  community.  Nat¬ 
urally,  the  methods  must  be  different  from  those  employed 
in  the  family  Church.  The  situation  demands  an  unusual 
program.  But  here's  the  point — the  Church  has  confessed 
that  it  has  practically  failed  in  securing  the  attention  of  the 
people — the  churches  are  either  moving  out  or  else  they  are 
steadily  losing  their  influence.  We  are  trying  to  meet  this 
terribly  serious  situation — and  we  use  the  word  “terribly” 
advisedly.  It  is  just  that. 

Our  success  thus  far  seems  to  indicate  that  we  have 
struck  upon  the  right  principle.  We  are  getting  the  people. 
We  are  winning  their  friendship.  We  are  breaking  down 
long-time  prejudices  against  the  Church.  We  are  showing 


4 


Jew  and  Catholic,  Protestant  and  Agnostic,  just  what  prac¬ 
tical  Christianity  means — that  it’s  a  thing  which  must  touch 
them  at  every  point  in  their  lives  seven  days  in  the  week. 
Could  one  do  more  than  this  ?  While  we  are  interested  in 
social  and  economic  problems,  we  would  be  untrue  to  God 
and  to  the  people  were  we  to  evade  or  omit  the  distinctively 
spiritual  aspects  of  life.  We  discuss  religious  questions 
without  apology.  Our  people  appreciate  our  frankness. 
Men  and  women  are  getting  a  new  conception  of  the  sig¬ 
nificance  of  the  old  gospel.  They  are  being  drawn  nearer  to 
God — and,  by  the  way,  nine-tenths  of  the  average  audience 
is  composed  of  men;  one-half  are  Jews;  three-fourths  are 
foreigners. 


Saloons  in  Our  Parish 

(Each  dot  represents  a  Saloon) 


A  Labor  Temple  Audience 


The  temple  is  open  every  xight,  and  on  Sunday 
there  is  a  continuous  program  from  two-thirty  till  ten. 
There  are  about  thirty  meetings  a  week.  These  are 
so  planned  as  to  make  the  appeal  as  varied  as  possible. 
Here's  a  typical  week's  program  during  the  winter  season  : 

On  Sunday  at  2.30  there's,  a  Children's  Hour  and  an 
Adult  Bible  Class.  An  hour  later  we  have  our  Sunday 
School  and  at  the  same  hour  there's  an  organ  recital  in  the 
auditorium.  This  is  usually  followed  by  a  dramatic  recital, 
when  some  of  the  masterpieces  in  literature  are  presented, 
or  else  there  is  an  hour  of  vocal  or  instrumental  music.  At 
five  o'clock,  carefully  censored  motion  pictures  are  shown, 
the  purpose  being  to  teach  a  strong  moral  lesson.  At  six, 
about  one  hundred  Temple  helpers — members  of  the  choir, 
student  workers,  ushers,  club  leaders,  Sunday  School  teach¬ 
ers  and  the  Temple  staff — sit  down  to  a  simple  luncheon, 
and  often  there  is  a  brief  inspirational  address  by  a  prom- 


inent  out-of-town  guest.  Meanwhile,  other  members  of  the 
choir  are  gathering,  and  at  seven  there  begins  an  intense 
half-hour  rehearsal,  so  that  when  the  regular  evening  song 
service  begins  at  7.30,  the  eighty  singers  are  finely  keyed  up 
to  their  work.  The  auditorium  is  always  full  on  Sunday 
night, — often  we  turn  people  away  as  early  as  eight  o'clock. 
The  sermon  is  thoroughly  evangelical  and  is  a  straight  ap¬ 
peal  to  the  hearts  of  men.  Each  succeeding  Sunday  seems 
to  he  the  “best"  Sunday,  for  each  day  brings  its  own 
peculiar  encouragement  and  inspiration. 

Monday  night  is  set  aside  for  social  purposes.  This  is 
the  time  when  new  acquaintances  are  made.  An  enthusias¬ 
tic  young  Jew  recently  wrote  a  letter  to  a  local  newspaper  in 
which  he  said:  “For  the  banishment  of  loneliness  there  is 
nothing  better  than  the  Labor  Temple."  This  simple  social 
function  appeals  especially  to  the  men  and  women  who  live 
in  nearby  hall  bedrooms,  most  of  which  are  cold  and 
cheerless. 


Annual  Banquet  for  Members  of  the  Choir 


Members  of  the  Temple  Choir 


SEVEN  periods  are  scheduled  for  Tuesday:  the  Penny 
Savings  Bank,  two  troops  of  the  Boy  Scouts,  the 
Young  Women’s  Club  or  class  in  Domestic  Art,  an  ath¬ 
letic  club, — although  we  have  no  sign  of  a  gymnasium — the 
“Imperators” — a  club  composed  of  ambitious  young  fellows 
with  great  possibilities — and  the  Open  Forum  for  the  dis¬ 
cussion  of  social  problems,  which  is  held  in  the  main 
auditorium.  Here  some  of  the  leaders  of  social  thought 
discuss  the  important  problems  of  the  day,  after  which  the 
audience  gets  a  chance  at  them — and  woe  betide  the  insin¬ 
cere  or  shallow  advocate !  The  audience  soon  finds  him  out. 
Usually,  no  matter  who  the  speaker  may  be,  the  crowd 
evens  up  the  argument  by  presenting  the  other  side — there’s 
always  sure  to  be  an  expert  ready  to  take  another  view. 
While  not  on  the  regular  schedule  of  meetings,  there  is  a 
permanent  engagement  at  the  Temple  at  six  o’clock  every 
Tuesday  night  during  the  school  year.  At  this  time,  about 
twenty  student  workers  from  Union  Theological  Seminary 
and  the  Bible  Teachers’  Training  School  have  a  supper  and 


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conference  hour,  when  they  report  upon  their  work,  and 
when  the  principles  involved  are  frankly  discussed.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  profitable  meetings  of  the  week — profitable 
to  the  students  as  well  as  to  the  Temple.  Just  previous  to 
this  meeting  there  is  a  conference  of  the  regular  Temple 
staff. 

On  Wednesday  the  “Temple  Friendly  Club”  meets  at 
four,  and  the  “Labor  Temple  Social  Club”  has  an  appoint¬ 
ment  at  eight.  These  are  both  composed  of  young  people. 


Children's  Meeting 


The  Temple  Chorus  has  its  regular  rehearsal  at  eight,  the 
Temple  Brotherhood  meets  at  the  same  hour,  and  in  the 
main  room  there  is  ordinarily  an  address  on  some  phase  of 
the  health  problem.  There  is  always  so  much  sickness 
among  the  poor — so  much  unnecessary  sickness — that  we 
consider  it  a  genuine  “Christian”  service — “religious,”  if  you 
please — to  show  people  how  to  get  well  and  keep  well. 
Jesus  did  this — did  He  not?  The  Boy  Scouts  meet  at  4.30 
on  Thursday — still  another  troop.  At  eight  there  is  a  class 
in  sight  singing,  and  in  the  main  room  there  is  always  an 

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illustrated  lecture,  when  we  roam  the  world  over,  with  the 
aid  of  beautiful  pictures  and  experienced  travellers. 

The  Children's  Game  Hour  is  held  at  four  o’clock  on  Fri  ¬ 
day.  Here  they  learn  how  to  play — few  children  knoz v  how. 
The  Girls'  Diversity  Club  meets  at  7.30,  and  the  Club  is  just 
what  the  name  implies.  It  is  composed  of  alert  young 
women.  There  are  cooking  lessons,  embroidery,  literature 
and  some  other  interesting  features.  At  eight  the  orchestra 
has  its  rehearsal.  There  is  another  cooking  class  at  the 
same  hour,  composed  mostly  of  married  women  and  those 
who  will  soon  marry,  and  it  is  taught  by  one  of  the  most 
efficient  teachers  in  this  country.  In  the  main  auditorium  on 
every  Friday  night  there  is  a  religious  discussion  of  the  most 
vital  questions  having  to  do  with  the  personal  relationship 
of  man  to  God.  This  meeting  is  addressed  by  the  best  men 
available  and  is  always  most  profitable.  The  questions  asked 
by  the  audience  indicate  the  utmost  sincerity  and  reveal  the 
deeper  spiritual  longings  of  the  human  heart.  Out  of  these 
religious  discussions,  and  as  a  result  of  the  more  distinc¬ 
tively  spiritual  work  of  the  Temple,  there  has  developed  a 


Boy  Scouts 
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The  Student  Workers  at  the  Temple  and  the  Temple  Staff 


“Labor  Temple  Fellowship,"  which  is  open  to  “all  who 
share  the  purpose  of  Jesus  and  are  seeking  to  bring  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God."  This  Fellowship  has  in  it  Jews,  Cath¬ 
olics  and  Protestants. 

Every  Saturday  at  4.30  there  are  motion  pictures  for  the 
children  because  they  are  not  admitted  to  the  other  meet¬ 
ings  of  the  week  when  pictures  are  shown.  The  Penny 
Savings  Bank  is  open  at  seven,  and  the  week  closes  with  a 
People's  Popular  Program  at  eight,  when  various  musical 
and  literary  features  are  introduced.  Sometimes  special 
meetings  are  worked  in,  but  the  above  is  the  normal  pro¬ 
gram  for  a  week. 

It  is  working.  It  is  helping  and  inspiring  the  people. 
The  letters  which  come  to  us  prove  that  this  is  so.  We  are 
wearing  out  the  old  pews.  The  carpet  is  done  for.  The 
furnaces  are  beyond  repair.  They  were  old  when  we  came 
in.  Idle  building  is  far  too  small.  Tt  was  never  designed 


The  Men  Away  from  Home  Having  a  Thanksgiving  Dinner 

for  the  work  that  we  are  carrying  on.  We  are  hoping  that 
some  day  we  may  really  do  justice  to  this  opportunity.  We 
have  just  begun  to  touch  it.  Here  is  a  field  which  has  in  it 
great  possibilities.  The  people  are  tremendously  in  earnest 
about  their  own  problems.  We  have  a  great  chance  to  help 
them.  But  we  can  help  only  as  we  work  with  the  people. 
The  spirit  of  democracy  is  so  strongly  developed  that  any¬ 
thing  which  savors  of  patronage  or  paternalism  is  quickly 
resented.  The  old-time  “mission"  is  no  longer  effective. 
Other  movements  have  been  developing  among  workingmen 
which  have  in  them  much  of  the  religious  element.  These 
are  to-day  challenging  the  Church  for  supremacy  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people.  It  is  largely  because  the  Church  has 
not  been  keenly  sensitive  to  the  changing  conditions  among 
the  masses  that  its  hold  upon  the  city  is  weakened.  The 
“old  gospel”  must  be  preached  with  all  its  old-time  fervor 
— but  it  is  largely  a  question  of  emphasis. 


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es, — it’s  an  arena,  this  downtown  field — 
famous  the  world  over  for  its  problems  and 
its  perplexities.  But  the  Church  is  a  part 
of  the  problem — the  whole  Church  ;  for  this  is 
not  “the  problem  of  the  downtown  Church ” — it 
is  “the  downtown  problem  of  the  Church If 
the  Church  fails  here  it  will  mean  that  its  claim 
that  it  preaches  “a  universal  gospel”  is  not 
proved.  It  will  mean  that  the  statement  that  its 
gospel  is  “the  best  solvent  of  the  social  prob¬ 
lem”  is  untrue — how  can  it  be  true  when  the 
Church  deliberately  deserts  those  who  are  fight¬ 
ing  for  their  very  existence — as  it  has  been  doing 
for  more  than  a  generation  in  lower  New  York? 

What  is  to  become  of  the  church?  Will  it  hold 
its  own — not  for  its  own  sake,  but  for  the  peo¬ 
ple’s  sake — or  shall  it  continue  to  flee  in  the  face 
of  the  severest  test  which  has  come  to  it  in  the 
Church’s  history?  IT  IS  FOR  THE  WHOLE 
CHURCH  TO  SAY. 


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MAO  I 


UNI  VE  RSI 


3  0112  045915557 


